Drifting there and never back
by obsidianstarlight
Summary: Join Daenal the strange quasi orphan as she is thrown into the quest to defeat a dragon and heal the burning wound made in a kings heart. She was raised to be a half elf, to make the choice that all must make. But just as she thinks her mind is set she is shown new possibilities that may make the choice that much harder. Oc/ thorin, kili/tauriel.
1. Chapter 1 Heralding storm

The heralding storm

It was a cold night in Imladris. Colder than usual as winds blew from East and west, both heralding great storms. A thunder battle would soon commence. It was a thrilling thought that sent a shiver up my spine (of course I would never tell the other elves). Though some of the young elves took to mischief, those who were trained and held higher position in the last homely house were expected to maintain at least some sense of decorum. It was in the middle of my revelry of senses that I heard the faint call of Elrond, the whispered _Daenal_ was almost drowned on the wind, but the Elven senses were far keener than that of mortals. Gently, i rose from my seat upon the carved marble balustrade and walked towards Elrond's study. To walk amongst elves is to feel every minute movement scrutinised for slight imperfections, with this in mind, every time I walked very near 90% of my brain was focused on gliding in which ever direction. Obviously I had some grace about me when I moved through the mortal world, but being sired by a most contemptuous creature meant that I could only reach the comparative elegance of a budding adult in my gestures. As I reached the ornately carved doors of Elrond's study I paused with bated breath waiting for his summons once more.

"Come in, Daenal" breathing out simultaneously I attempted to gracefully breeze into his room as the other elves may have. I tripped on a perfectly polished floor. Recovering I stood in front of the lectern at which Elrond studied a book on dwarven runes. In this place Elrond kept his rarer texts and those which the younger elves had seen fit to consider irrelevant. Cool eyes peered over his book and crinkled with recognition.

"Daenal please, you can relax there is no one else here" he knew me too well, and my muscles readily relaxed as I rolled out my shoulders. The pale blue gown I wore was considered the required _elderich _vestments of the elves, and yes they were nice for reclining in, but the flowing tendrils of material made for awkward movements in the field. Without the instinctive seamless movements of the elder elves the clothes of a lady simply got in the way. The same went for the way in which we wore our hair, where other elves seems to have very obedient straight hair that knew to stay out of the way mine could be described as silver blonde waves of mischievousness in its constant barrage and sly infiltrations into my mouth. The only way to tame it was to bind it; _unseemly_ my nursemaid had said. It was that show myself to be rather unkempt as I ran through forests and valleys, the one way my hair and the rest of my body seemed to be coordinated was when I ran and ran and ran free and boundless in the wild. Unfortunately those opportunities rarely came about.

I had once seen a party that came from Mirkwood, though it was merely glimpses through gaps in stone carvings as they rode past, but I was in awe of their strong and commanding presence as even their female warriors wore leather wrapped around their bodies; a second skin that rippled as the first, from each twitch of trained muscle as they rode.

"Daenal" I looked up from my gown to see that Elrond had moved in silence to stand in front of me. His worn yet soft hands took mine and cuddled them in their warmth.

"Now Daenal, there is an important matter which we must discuss" this was worrying. The last time Elrond had 'discussed' something with me the result had been, shall we say unexpected. And volatile. And just not good. So this time I internally braced myself for what was to come.

"We shall be having visitors" I- that was it?

He squeezed my hands once then let them easily slip away as falling wings quite stunned by the anticlimax that seemed to have come after all of my anxiety. He moved to stand next to the large windows which overlooked the courtyard were his young kin now played.

"Lord Elrond, excuse my confusion but am I really the person to tell this. Though Arwin is away isn't more appropriate to tell the twins of this?''

I now know that I should have seen his gentle smile as a sign of trouble that would come from his next words.

''No Lord, my dear Daenal''

''Yes my l- Elrond''

''And to answer your question; Elladan and Elrohir are already in the forest waiting to greet our guests. But the reason that I need you to be prepared for their arrival is that as you no doubt know there is a thunder battle on the wind and the pass at this time can be treacherous''

It was true though Elladan, Elrohir and myself often scouted the mountain pass and sort to kill those goblin groups which we came across , they were becoming harder to track as they kept to their tunnels. I knew all this yet kept quiet as I waited for the conclusion of Elrond's point.

''And so this group who will soon arrive shall need an expert guide who can see them safely through the terrible night which is coming'' and there it was. I was being sent on an escort mission, a first actually: it would be my first time being allowed out of the valley alone (well without the twins close by to watch over the clumsy child). Involuntarily my mouth spread into an excited smile and I quickly turned on my heel to prepare all of my necessities for the journey; it would be about two or three days to navigate the valley paths safely. So that meant sufficient supplies. Maybe clothes - oh and scouti... I stopped my brains whirring as I touched the handle to the door and realised that I hadn't asked quite an important question.

''_Who_ will I be escorting Elrond? ''

The smile turned wry '' some dwarves, on a quest I believe.''

''Oh well, what trouble could some dwarves cause'' and I flitted out of the study without care to what I moved like as I finally felt some freedom in my step.


	2. Chapter 2 Ugh dwarves

It wasn't until the sun had fallen behind the valleys cresting walls that the mysterious party arrived. Luckily for them Elrond's foresight of sending the twins as greeting was said to be a divine salvation to these oafish dwarves who had managed to stir a hornet's nest of orcs from the dark place of middle earth and had been hunted by their savage wargs. Elrond had always said that even the lowest of beasts contain the light of Eru, but it was hard to see light within the foul agents of Mordor. I wanted to meet with them on their arrival but they were retired almost immediately to rest from their already arduous journey from the shire; whispers ran around the great house of battles with trolls though I could confirm nothing (I was definitely going to ask since no one had seen them this far south before). For now I made myself content by preparing for the trip ahead, in a constant state of anticipation for the imminent feeling of release.

A knock rapped upon my chamber door and being consumed by the menial tasks of packing I had let my guard down responding with a distracted "come in!" Expecting the twins to burst in and bounce off the walls teasing me like a pair of naughty kittens. but a distracted mind can be dangerous even if only in ones home; I hadn't discerned the subtle differences that should have been obvious to me. The heavier shortened sound of foot steps that came from a small stride. The hard and uneven hammering of the knock. And the earthy smell like burning winter air. All these would have allowed me at least a few moments of composure before my guests entered.

Silence was in hung in the air. I waited for the elf to say something (I assumed it would be the twins) but still nothing was said. In a move I eventually remembered to regret I turned to the door placing a hand on my hip to show my dislike to whatever new game they were playing.

There in the doorway stood two dwarves and a startled hobbit.

The dwarves expression was that of shock (of a pleasant sort) whilst the hobbit began to look around wildly at anything but me and retreat from my room into the corridor. The annoying detail of this stagnant atmosphere wasn't that the dwarves were staring with a blank gaping look of a milked cow, it was that they weren't looking at my face. Their eyes were lower or eye height actually for a dwarf. The honey blonde dwarf eventually looked away smacking the dark haired one's head in the same movement. I just stood there as they stood fidgeting uneasily, wondering what had flustered them so; then it dawned. As a breeze came in behind the three I didn't need to look down to know that I only wore my hunting undergarments as I had not yet chosen the set of gear to wear for the journey. I looked over to my bed and saw the two leather outfits laid out neatly beside each other now mocking me. I felt the flush creep over my whole body as my anger began to peak.

'' GET OUT'' I roared in a most unbecoming guttural and quite unnecessarily loud voice. They did as I said at once slamming the door hard and keeping hold of the handle as I heard their meaty hands stem the vibrations.

A quick succession of thoughts ran through my head_: How could they. How was I supposed to travel with them now. These- these moronic meat heads. What will I do? I can't expect them to take me seriously now, especially not after such an outburst. _All these thoughts flooded my mind as I binded and dressed myself combat ready. _I will no doubt have to explain my anger to Elrond, lest he think I can't do this or worse that I have been dealt a great offence. _And surely enough as I had finished buckling my sword belt Elladan and Elrohir burst into the room simultaneously pinning the dwarves to the door and my floor. The hobbit meanwhile had his dagger out and looked very pained as to what he should do. Racing up behind the twins was Elrond accompanied by the old wizard Gandalf. Beating his feet against the stone as he came up the rear was another dwarf clad in leather and fur wielding Orcrist blocking the hobbit from sight. He was a sturdy looking dwarf taller than the first two, most likely because of his maturity. At this moment his body was visibly coiled waiting to direct his strike, with piercing blue eyes taking in each small drama of the scene till they landed on me. Where they remained. His strategy was obvious; take me as hostage to save his kin and expend little energy in subduing the weakest opponent. Smart. But offensive, more so than that which the peeping toms had caused.

"Elladan and Elrohir stop what you are doing, release these dwarves.'' It was Elrond who made first attempt to diffuse the situation. '' there has been some confusion'' added Gandalf gruffly.

"We all heard Daenal's cry'' spoke Elladan pressing his blade against the blonde dwarf who lay expertly pinned on the floor.

''They have done something, offended Daenal and must seek her forgiveness"

"Not quiver outside her door like children" said Elrohir followed up by Elladan again. The hobbit was now more boldly standing behind this new dwarf who had now shifted closer readying to leap over Elladan to get to me. It seemed that this encounter would not end pleasantly. now in the distance I heard the light cymbaled ring of the guards feet as they marched down distant corridors coming to their Lords aid and threatening to ignite a small battle

No. I wouldn't let this be the result of Elrond's first show of faith in me. As I was now comfortably clothed without any risk of further bruising my ego I decided I would step up. No matter how embarrassing the truth.

"Gandalf the grey is right my lord, my brothers" at this the tension eased though only slightly as the room remembered my presence. Yet the blue eyed dwarf with his nest of dark tangles kept vigilant eyes on my swordhand.

Gandalf merely quirked his brow as Elrond said "go on my dear"

"I'm afraid that in my eagerness to prepare I forgot myself and bid these three-'' pointing to the distraught trio "enter my chambers but I - I had not yet fully clothed myself" the blush of chagrin flared on my cheeks and it seemed to ease everyone, swords lowering as they calmed.

"Yes. Yes." Called the dark haired dwarf still against the door but had been allowed to slide down to his feet.

"We only came in because she allowed; we were going to ask her to join us as the el- Lord Elrond had asked us, no more" the blonde said slowly,his arms were in a raised and submissive manner in front of Elladan.

"its the truth lord" squeaked the hobbit looking to the large dwarf and Gandalf.

"Well you can trust it is the truth if even Bilbo will speak to it" he smiled now as if it had all been some play."as I said a simple misunderstanding"

Elrond nodded satisfied. "Now release them" and the twins did so helping the dwarves to right themselves and even chuckling. That last bit was bad for me.

''So you mean''

''That is to say''

''_You roared for embarrassments sake''_ the last was spoken in unison as they smirked and moved toward me. They then began to jostle and poke me teasing about my bashful tendencies getting the better of me. I took it as punishment, since it could have been worse.

"Perhaps this elf needs to learn to control herself" the brooding dwarf finally spit out. It earned him some notably scornful looks from most in the room apart from the retreating dwarves. Actually I expected a similar reprimand from Elrond but it was his to give not this man's. Bilbo stepped forward to speak to him, but it seemed he looked more to Gandalf as the one who would be listening to him.

''Actually Thorin um, she wasn't entirely unreasonable in her response. Killi and Filli were um _transfixed_ for a time before she ordered us to leave. So she may have been justified?" I think I probably looked a little smug as I looked into Thorin Oakenshield's (for I knew of only one Thorin that Elrond might suffer) eyes. He harrumphed and then kicked his kin "apologise for your transgressions against this lady'' and the two crept forward to bow and speak what we're sincere apologies before turning to follow their uncle with Bilbo beings dragged along as he was probably getting used to. Then the rest left my room with small chuckles echoing in the corridor as they left this meet with and explain to the guards that all was a mere misunderstanding. The chuckles then multiplied into more whispered ones.

_Dwarves._ I thought. _No doubt more trouble will come from their company._


	3. Chapter 3 fleeting goodbyes

I dined in the great hall that night with the questing party on a nearby table. They kept mostly to themselves during the meal, whispering into their neighbours ears and casting glances all over the great hall. Of course when I bothered to make the effort I could listen to their twittering with ease. In general their consisted of _the she-elf _this _scary _that and the odd comment of _ how can we travel with a demonic she-elf such as her?!_ The last comment did make me feel a little better. This sort of behaviour made the other elves and various traders who were also of our company quite uneasy. It didn't help when an elf would complain of their earthen smell (which I actually found to be familiar and soothing). All in all in made for a very tense dining experience which even saw a few casualties in people retiring early due to 'indigestion'. Eventually the dwarves seemed to have had enough of socialising with our like and retired to their rooms, though they didn't leave without asking where the kitchen was and grabbing a full picker of ale to take with them.

"That should soothe them'' Elrond said quietly. It took me a moment to realised that he too was paying particular attention to the odd little group. _Something seems to be wrong with my senses today. '' Ho Ho Ho _that will most definitely soothe their pride my lord Elrond, but I'm afraid that you will wake up with a dent in your pantry'' Gandalf chortled out as he smoked his pipeweed.

From that point all seemed to have calmed and even the twins seemed eager to find their beds. Elrond paused as we began to empty from the hall, lingering behind with Elladan and Elrohir who gave curt nods and then raced on past us to speak to a few of the guards and vanished into the crowd.

"Hmm. I shall walk ahead should lord Elrond need me.'' Gandalf said in his low gravelly voice. ''Perhaps I shall see the damage done to the kitchen by those dwarves, hohoho'' and he too strode outside.

Elrond instructed me to follow him as he would be preoccupied with business between him and Gandalf later. Anxiety again gripped and turned the base of my stomach whilst I followed Elrond to his room in silence. This time I was sure that the results was going to be unfavourable based solely on my actions today, and my heart sank as I thought of him telling me that he no longer had faith that I could carry out this task for him. By the time we had reached his room dark thoughts were swallowing my mind. '' I suppose you think that I am going to penalise you?'' His face remained smooth and unravaged by time or emotion. All elves possessed the blessing of some foresight that could be mistaken for clairvoyance, it was instead an overly keen intuition that allowed them to predict some things far quicker than mortals. So far I had not been able to access this part in my mind and so Elrond's next action did quite literally take my breath away.

''Well you are wrong, in fact I am very pleased that these dwarves will be wary of trampling you as they do most others'' As he talked he moved to a draw in his desk and removed a simple box. But from this box he withdrew an incredible work of art. '' this belonged to your mother. She asked that I give this to you when the ti email was right'' he held a delicate metal chain that could easily be mistaken for string. And hanging in fixed place we're two beautiful drops of star light made crystal. But the most wondrous part of the necklace was a spiral of Elven steel which was sharpened around the edges and intricately carved with Elven writing that read:_ wander this world and embrace it's mortal beauty._

Of course this inscription was puzzling to me _embrace it's mortal beauty?_ But then again most of that which pertained to my mother was an enigma from who she was to something as simple as her name. According to Elrond I was left to him by a bear who carried me in his jaws, and from that day I became his charge. What little I did know was that she was an elf and she left me for a reason unclear to all. My father was a different story. (But I wasn't about to ruin a lovely moment by dragging up old feelings)

"Oh Elrond, i just don't know what to say except thank you'' I hugged him tightly and he gently smoothed my hair placing a kiss on my crown. ''I shall treasure it as precious starlight''

''Wait Daenal '' he stopped me from turning to leave. '' That is the gift from your mother and I hope you will accept this from me'' brushing the hair behind my ear and leaning in he stabbed the top of my ear with a needle. I yelped quietly, the pain was more surprising than severe, but once he had removed the thing my hand shot up to explore my ear for the damage. When I pulled my hand away there was no blood and I realised that the needle must have been heated in a nearby candle, cauterising the wound itself made. I looked to Elrond who with calm eyes simply hand me a small carved box. I couldn't open it. No matter how I pulled it or felt for gaps I could find none in the fist sized box. After a minute or two Elrond must have had his fill of sadistic play and took the box from me.

'' It is a puzzle box my child'' As though it was a most obvious thing'' I will show you '' a stroke here, a knock there and two twists and the parcel opened to reveal it's contents. Upon a plush velvet interior sat a small piece of curved metal making a cuff. It showed the carvings of the elvish that were plentiful in Imladris intricately worked around star gems like rivers around islands, holding the artists signature on the underside; it read _Elrond half-elven. _ A small sort hiccup sound escaped my lips. And Elrond just smiled resplendent with the moonlight beaming through his windows casting him in an ethereal glow. It was the highest honour to receive such a gift from an elf, usually reserved for family.''Oh my lord, I ...''

''This is my gift for you'' he reached into the box taking the cuff and fastened it permanently to my ear'' of course this box is of the twins mind, may you carry both on your journey and know that we are with you''

I felt a swelling in my chest which threatened to burst into tears or a scream or something equally silly. I would only be gone for three days at most and yet everyone was acting as though I was leaving for good. Elrond then placed my mother's necklace inside of the puzzle box and handed it to me. He then pulled me into his strong embrace and squeezed me '' I have faith in you my daughter''

After that I returned to my room to find a pocketed sash to place my new box in and hold it close. I was filled with anticipation for the next day, I had said my goodbyes to a few close friends. Elladan and Elrohir had gone to Mirkwood on Elrond's command for some business leaving a short note in my quarters which plainly said '_safe travels'_ . It really seemed empty in my room with necessities packed, Elrond busy with an unexpected high council meeting and no chance of the twins barging in to play. I was fed up so I decided to walk off my energy.

Walking the paths of Imladris over its forever running streams was as always calming. In the early morning before dawn broke not many wandered the stone corridors instead they all slept peacefully in the safety of the hidden valley's magic. But tonight was not completely still; earlier I had heard all the racket that came from the dwarves so I consciously avoided the guest rooms though I did pass the solitary hobbit Mr Baggins who was also enjoying his time in the great sanctuary of the elves.

_You will have to learn to suffer them as Mr Baggins has for this journey. He is indeed a brave hobbit. But that thorin seems to be the most stubborn and prejudice of the lot. _In this grumbley state of mind I walked past the falls and looked to them sky as it bloomed in the dawn for some comfort- instead I saw dwarves. They were running up the valley wall towards the hidden entrance. I thought to alert the guards or run back for my pack, but with a rising anger that pushed me toward bull headed actions I ran. I ran faster and faster, eyes set on my moronic prey. _I already have a damn headache._


	4. Chapter 4 Happy thunder

Happy thunder

The dwarves had made a good hour start ahead of me. I made my way up the mountain on the thin gnarled path into the onslaught of rain that came down with such force that it stung my hands and any place that was bare. The pain was only slight but the constant barrage served to fuel my anger and drive me forward in my pursuit. Occasionally as the path followed the furrows and bows of the mountain side I was able to catch glimpses of the party as they clung to its face. By the time noon came the wind was constant flowing gust which served to push me back hampering my progress, which seemed non existent and was continuously slowed by my indecision on whether to turn back or plow ahead.

The evening soon came and was quickly followed by the storms thunder and lightning that I had smelt in the summer air. Now a new threat that was quite unexpected began to awaken; the mountain trembled ever so slightly, a ripple of what was beginning to move further in the pass. This was no time for indecision. I had no doubt that those ahead were completely unaware of the trouble that they had now placed themselves in. There was a reason that lord Elrond had suffered their raiding of the kitchens and general tomfoolery, which was to allow enough time for this storm to pass by in case of what was happening right now : a thunder battle. The giants were stirring from their deep slumber with a store of energy that would allow them to compete in a battle of hurling boulders that could crush an oliphant.

So I ran faster. Faster and faster. The speed tempted me to engage my body fully and let loose in order to reach them but I held back just enough, aided by memories of the young elves I lived with commenting on my form;' how lithe your body becomes when you run Daenal, surprising for one so _sturdy_.' I had always had more muscle on my body than the female elves and received indelicate slight pointing it out. Elrond had said my strength would rival the strongest Elven warrior, and I worked to reach that peak by training with the males in combat rather than the women in the healing arts, yet that too learnt, on a basic level enough to aid my comrades in the thick of battle.

In the midst of thought it took the shouts and shrieks from those ahead to make me realise that they were but 30 ft in front . It was at this moment that boulders began to fly from the giants hands, launching them with great force towards each other, hitting and missing but always the rain was mixed with the shards of shattered rocks. Now I was a mere few feet from the nearest dwarf as they cowered under meager shelter in the rock face. It was at this moment that a quake struck the rock reverberating all around as a great behemoth of stone tore away from the mountain readying to wade into the battle. The troublesome adventurers found themselves separated as half swung away atop of one knee and the others were pivoted on the other all in the thick of it as if it was their mission to fall into such situations. At the sight of them teetering on the edges barely managing to cling to the rock I sprung into action. On instinct I leapt towards the closest of the giant's legs and gripped onto the sharp holdings of rock. My hands bled from where freshly splintered rock had been brought to the world, slicing through my fingertips. I imagined that I was just below the knee were the dwarves were huddled as I came upon them rather quickly. Meanwhile the other section of the group had managed to leap back onto the crumbling path, but more importantly as I reached the dwarves our predicament seemed to have take a turn for the worse as it seemed that our particular had just lost this fight and his head. None of them had noticed my presence beside them till I shouted as loud as possible so as to overcome the storms rage.

"We're going down!- we have to jump!'' Frightened faces quickly turned to my direction followed by dreading shaking heads and cries of ''no''- "We won't make it!"

I ignored all of them as I took in the oncoming collision that was about to occur between us and the unyielding mountain. I pushed most of them towards the far edge of our perch grabbing two, including the blonde dwarf from my room. Again my voice strained to be heard "We must jump sideways to avoid the crash - NOW!" With that I simultaneously pulled the blonde and Mr Baggins whilst shoving the ones ahead of me to make their leap.

The crash of rock was almost deafening, yet in the pause of thunder and lightning a grieved scream rose above the clattering of falling debris.

Then the giant fell wholly to the far off basin beneath us, a rush of energy cascaded towards the heavens as it's soul escaped. But there was no time to contemplate being in such close proximity to death.

Once vision had cleared the group harked to one another, cheering in triumph over their peril and soon we were joined by the group led by Thorin. Yips rose from their reunion and we made haste towards the proper shelter of a cave that could be seen near another bend in the path. It was quite a large cave with what could be considered a primitive porch, as soon as we were in Thorin ordered Dwalin to check the cave for signs of occupancy, which I had to admit was wise for many nasty creatures will make homes in such caves especially in a storm.

A few moments of calm and relieved sighs passed before Thorin spun and marched towards me. His chest was puffed out and his face set in a grim determination readying for another battle.

"What are you doing here elf?! You have no place here" He declared loudly calling the attention of all in the cave.

I was determined that I would not set a precedent of being talked down to by this man king or no.

"Now listen hear you obstinate dwarf I am here for one reason only and that is to get you safely through these mountains - and unless you haven't realised it yet, you actually need me as you clearly know nothing if you blindly charge off into a thunder battle" I finished my rant panting at the release of my pent up aggression after having chased them for a whole day in the sodding rain.

I huffed rather impudently turned my head and waited for a lurid response to rush out of Thorin. I was left waiting for quite a while actually, unfortunately the pause had given me time to regain my composure and recognise that I had spoken rudely to a king even if he wasn't my king. Looking back to meet his gaze I felt like an impulsive child arguing with a saint- silly and wrong. I shouldn't have allowed for my emotions to boil over and instead I should be thankful that I was able to help them. And I was going to say just that, be the bigger person, till I met with his gaze. A pair of blue piercing eyes seemed to bore into me, vaguely on the outskirts of my vision I saw the others faces of twist with worry and some with anger at my disrespect. I was going to right the situation. I was going to make the effort to co-operate with them, to help us act as a positively moving force for however long we were together. But no, no I couldn't say anything after being caught by those eyes. They were set so sternly that I thought of my daggers to be used to block the swing of his great sword. And then suddenly they weren't. They crinkled as a boar like snort erupted from thorin followed by a guttural laughter. It was... shocking. I had only known him for so long but I had always been able to develop a sense for people within a short period of time; Mr Baggins, i felt would come to show bravery that was hidden even to him. And even if this skill was closed off to me I think that it would seem obvious that the young king was not one to simply snort and guffaw as others would. Yet on he went, losing his breath then choking to reclaim it. Meanwhile those around me had also shifted their moods to an eased confusion due to Thorin's behaviour. Now panting Thorin walked over to the cave wall to steady himself, eventually able to speak.

"That is the first time in my- my life that an elf has actually spoken what they meant, rather than dance around in riddles and pleasantries" he was smirking as he slid to the cave floor. My expression on the other hand was probably drop jawed as I whispered "you do realise I'm only half elf..." Balintore chirped that Elrond's name 'half-elf' was an indication of his kin heritage. I was too tired to go into it.

"Ho, well we may as well get some rest here before we move on. Oh and I apologise and thank you for before, my lady please make yourself comfortable in our drab shelter" he said turning to me with the shadows of something hidden beneath his smiles; perhaps sad memories of the past. In any case I looked around at their faces and saw that all were worn out by the days trek. "I'll take first watch"

I turned and walked to the entrance, turning back I wasn't at all surprised to find that most had already curled into nooks and crannies to find makeshift beds. Thorin had already fallen to slumber. With that I set up just outside of the cave and stared out into the now silent rain. They will need all the help that they canHappy thunder

The dwarves had made a good hour start ahead of me. I made my way up the mountain on the thin gnarled path into the onslaught of rain that came down with such force that it stung my hands and any place that was bare. The pain was only slight but the constant barrage served to fuel my anger and drive me forward in my pursuit. Occasionally as the path followed the furrows and bows of the mountain side I was able to catch glimpses of the party as they clung to its face. By the time noon came the wind was constant flowing gust which served to push me back hampering my progress, which seemed non existent and was continuously slowed by my indecision on whether to turn back or plow ahead.

The evening soon came and was quickly followed by the storms thunder and lightning that I had smelt in the summer air. Now a new threat that was quite unexpected began to awaken; the mountain trembled ever so slightly, a ripple of what was beginning to move further in the pass. This was no time for indecision. I had no doubt that those ahead were completely unaware of the trouble that they had now placed themselves in. There was a reason that lord Elrond had suffered their raiding of the kitchens and general tomfoolery, which was to allow enough time for this storm to pass by in case of what was happening right now : a thunder battle. The giants were stirring from their deep slumber with a store of energy that would allow them to compete in a battle of hurling boulders that could crush an oliphant.

So I ran faster. Faster and faster. The speed tempted me to engage my body fully and let loose in order to reach them but I held back just enough, aided by memories of the young elves I lived with commenting on my form;' how lithe your body becomes when you run Daenal, surprising for one so sturdy.' I had always had more muscle on my body than the female elves and received indelicate slight pointing it out. Elrond had said my strength would rival the strongest Elven warrior, and I worked to reach that peak by training with the males in combat rather than the women in the healing arts, yet that too learnt, on a basic level enough to aid my comrades in the thick of battle.

In the midst of thought it took the shouts and shrieks from those ahead to make me realise that they were but 30 ft in front . It was at this moment that boulders began to fly from the giants hands, launching them with great force towards each other, hitting and missing but always the rain was mixed with the shards of shattered rocks. Now I was a mere few feet from the nearest dwarf as they cowered under meager shelter in the rock face. It was at this moment that a quake struck the rock reverberating all around as a great behemoth of stone tore away from the mountain readying to wade into the battle. The troublesome adventurers found themselves separated as half swung away atop of one knee and the others were pivoted on the other all in the thick of it as if it was their mission to fall into such situations. At the sight of them teetering on the edges barely managing to cling to the rock I sprung into action. On instinct I leapt towards the closest of the giant's legs and gripped onto the sharp holdings of rock. My hands bled from where freshly splintered rock had been brought to the world, slicing through my fingertips. I imagined that I was just below the knee were the dwarves were huddled as I came upon them rather quickly. Meanwhile the other section of the group had managed to leap back onto the crumbling path, but more importantly as I reached the dwarves our predicament seemed to have take a turn for the worse as it seemed that our particular had just lost this fight and his head. None of them had noticed my presence beside them till I shouted as loud as possible so as to overcome the storms rage.

"We're going down!- we have to jump!'' Frightened faces quickly turned to my direction followed by dreading shaking heads and cries of ''no''- "We won't make it!"

I ignored all of them as I took in the oncoming collision that was about to occur between us and the unyielding mountain. I pushed most of them towards the far edge of our perch grabbing two, including the blonde dwarf from my room. Again my voice strained to be heard "We must jump sideways to avoid the crash - NOW!" With that I simultaneously pulled the blonde and Mr Baggins whilst shoving the ones ahead of me to make their leap.

The crash of rock was almost deafening, yet in the pause of thunder and lightning a grieved scream rose above the clattering of falling debris.

Then the giant fell wholly to the far off basin beneath us, a rush of energy cascaded towards the heavens as it's soul escaped. But there was no time to contemplate being in such close proximity to death.

Once vision had cleared the group harked to one another, cheering in triumph over their peril and soon we were joined by the group led by Thorin. Yips rose from their reunion and we made haste towards the proper shelter of a cave that could be seen near another bend in the path. It was quite a large cave with what could be considered a primitive porch, as soon as we were in Thorin ordered Dwalin to check the cave for signs of occupancy, which I had to admit was wise for many nasty creatures will make homes in such caves especially in a storm.

A few moments of calm and relieved sighs passed before Thorin spun and marched towards me. His chest was puffed out and his face set in a grim determination readying for another battle.

"What are you doing here elf?! You have no place here" He declared loudly calling the attention of all in the cave.

I was determined that I would not set a precedent of being talked down to by this man king or no.

"Now listen hear you obstinate dwarf I am here for one reason only and that is to get you safely through these mountains - and unless you haven't realised it yet, you actually need me as you clearly know nothing if you blindly charge off into a thunder battle" I finished my rant panting at the release of my pent up aggression after having chased them for a whole day in the sodding rain.

I huffed rather impudently turned my head and waited for a lurid response to rush out of Thorin. I was left waiting for quite a while actually, unfortunately the pause had given me time to regain my composure and recognise that I had spoken rudely to a king even if he wasn't my king. Looking back to meet his gaze I felt like an impulsive child arguing with a saint- silly and wrong. I shouldn't have allowed for my emotions to boil over and instead I should be thankful that I was able to help them. And I was going to say just that, be the bigger person, till I met with his gaze. A pair of blue piercing eyes seemed to bore into me, vaguely on the outskirts of my vision I saw the others faces of twist with worry and some with anger at my disrespect. I was going to right the situation. I was going to make the effort to co-operate with them, to help us act as a positively moving force for however long we were together. But no, no I couldn't say anything after being caught by those eyes. They were set so sternly that I thought of my daggers to be used to block the swing of his great sword. And then suddenly they weren't. They crinkled as a boar like snort erupted from thorin followed by a guttural laughter. It was... shocking. I had only known him for so long but I had always been able to develop a sense for people within a short period of time; Mr Baggins, i felt would come to show bravery that was hidden even to him. And even if this skill was closed off to me I think that it would seem obvious that the young king was not one to simply snort and guffaw as others would. Yet on he went, losing his breath then choking to reclaim it. Meanwhile those around me had also shifted their moods to an eased confusion due to Thorin's behaviour. Now panting Thorin walked over to the cave wall to steady himself, eventually able to speak.

"That is the first time in my- my life that an elf has actually spoken what they meant, rather than dance around in riddles and pleasantries" he was smirking as he slid to the cave floor. My expression on the other hand was probably drop jawed as I whispered "you do realise I'm only half elf..." Balintore chirped that Elrond's name 'half-elf' was an indication of his kin heritage. I was too tired to go into it.

"Ho, well we may as well get some rest here before we move on. Oh and I apologise and thank you for before, my lady please make yourself comfortable in our drab shelter" he said turning to me with the shadows of something hidden beneath his smiles; perhaps sad memories of the past. In any case I looked around at their faces and saw that all were worn out by the days trek. "I'll take first watch"

I turned and walked to the entrance, turning back I wasn't at all surprised to find that most had already curled into nooks and crannies to find makeshift beds. Thorin had already fallen to slumber. With that I set up just outside of the cave and stared out into the now silent rain._ They will need all the help that they can get._


	5. Chapter 5 Ursa minor

It was the middle of the night for all I could tell, when a sound alerted me: the hobbit. He had all his belongings gathered in his arms as he endeavoured to creep and tip toe past the dwarves, not yet realising that I sat silently watching him just in the shadow of the caves mouth. By the time he had reached me still oblivious I thought I had passed the point of polite curiosity. "Where are you going little burglar?" The sound of my voice enough to cause his feet to double his height by leaping straight up. As he came down he made little sound like the brush of feathers upon a stone floor. Hidden talents. He began stuttering out an deformed lie not worth hearing so I stopped him by speaking first.

"I would wager that a burglar such as yourself, sneaking away as you are..." I paused feigning reflection. "I would say that your taste for adventure has grown sour and you are looking to find yourself a new path" his pursed expression told me that I had read him right. This hobbit, though 60, was still trying to find a path in his life as we all were; the dwarves thought to find it on the road to their lost home. And I... well I questioned if I would ever find my true path before I was pushed into some role given by the grace of Elrond's generosity.

"If you would Mr Baggins perhaps you could sit with me a while, at least until the sun begins to dawn. I would not feel right abandoning you to these paths at night nor could I abandon my mission to help your friends"

He sat on the other side of the opening chin resting upon his knees looking out into the dark. We both sat in a contemplative state for some time until Bilbo chose to reveal his thoughts.

"Their not really my friends you know." He spoke this as though it was fact but it still carried a sombre and disappointed note. "I mean I have been traveling with them for some months now and tonight is the first time Thorin has laughed with me around. There's no point in my staying." I didn't bother to interrupt as it seemed more cathartic for him to speak without feeling heard in this blackness. "No, no point at all. I simply get them into trouble just as I did with the trolls." _I must remember to ask about that _" even Elrond offered me a place in rivendell because he knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with them." The silence returned and with the rain finally pattering to a halt, the last drops falling into the great chasm reminding me of the giant laying in ruins below us drawing me into a faded memory of dappled sunlight. Unbeknownst to me I had begun to hum to the fragments of stone and memory. "That's a pretty tune miss..." "I suppose we weren't properly introduced back in iml- rivendell. My name is Daenal Dwin ' thym, please Mr Baggins call me Daenal." I gave a slight chuckle as he silently practiced my name with the shadows of his face dancing with his lips.

"Well Daenal please do call me Bilbo for what little time we are together"

This pattern of conversation ebbing and flowing continued, and in the the ebb the lonely night brought the same tune from my lips. Eventually Bilbo seemed to be lulled closer and closer to the precipice of sleep. One of his last questions came groggy from his barely parting lips. "It is such a pretty tune... What is it from miss?" As he was drifting from sleep to a cloudy waking state I saw no harm in telling him a truth that would probably be lost to the wind. "It is a lullaby Bilbo, an effective one." I smirked at the evidence of the tunes charm "it is also the only memory I have of my mother, i see no face only her bright starlight hair iridescent in the sunshine flickering through summer forest leaves and the scent of bluebells and copper in the air. And then she sings a song" I closed my eyes and fell into the memory letting the few words that i remembered cascade from my mouth in its undulating tune.

"Now sing child, sing dear maiden

Sing of grief and sorrow

Sing sweet, sing long

And you may yet see tomorrow

Yes you may yet see tomorrow."

By this time all were deep in slumber, even mister Baggins whom I returned to his small space in the cave, soon I joined them but as I gave in my last moments where pestered by chattering echoing from nearby.

Cries and shouts of confusion awoke me. I jumped to my feet with blades in hand ready to lunge into the fray of a battle that was not there. The screams still came. I turned into the cave stopping short as my feet found ledge instead of continued floor. As I looked to my companions I was just quick enough to see an angered Thorin and a bewildered Bilbo slip last into the trap door. I must admit I was startled into a moment of inaction. As the thud and gust of stale air blew upwards I found my wits again, my mind raced with the options that could help them.

Run back to Imladris for back up. No, it would take too long. Search for Gandalf along the path, he should be catching up by now. No, damn it no time. Damn. Damn!

Then there it was the chattering like a drum being tapped. I felt a brush of air sweep across my cheek. A simple thing really but it carried more in its scent; earthy, stagnant and foul. Goblin. I followed the scent further back into the cave to a small crack. A subtle crack in the wall, not seen by the eyes of dwarves, even to the touch of my hand it would have felt so ordinary if not for the fading zephyr that was escaping from it now.

_But how- how do I open it ? There's no lever or panel to open it._ _The only way is to knock it down._

The change came sudden and lasted only a second, but in that second the world was changed. The world was warmer now, buzzing with life, in this new darkness it was easy to see what would have been a faint light now burn through the crack in reds and oranges. My pads felt the cool ground as I pushed against it and rose onto my stout hind legs which shifted slightly to bring my weight crashing down on the hidden entrance. Once, twice and then it gave way to my new enormity.

Goblins scrambled around, disorientated and angry nipping at the air at ghosts of enemies. But these were just sentinel goblins; small and stupid, their screams meant as an early alarm call for those below. One began to whoop softly but building in volume and frequency, he was the first to feel claws hook into skin and drag across its twisted face as I flung him into a wall. The call had been started and carried to the two that were left in the room who too began the slowly rising call like apes in a rain forest, one was delivered the first fate as the first but as the killing blow was dealt the last of the slimy cretins scampered towards a bolt hole that most likely would have deposited it to the nearest company of goblin soldiers. But before the little thing managed to delve too deep my jaws caught on a rag that it would have called clothing and wrenched it out again, flinging it's flailing body into the air and finally closing my great maw around its chest. It died gurgling with bubbles of its own blood erupting from its mouth.

This was nothing new. The first time it came about I was too young too ignorant so much so that I had to be restrained for weeks before the rest of the elves trusted me enough to be released. The damage the blood the power all these things were inevitable when I moved into my other form. A gift from my father. A silver bear.


End file.
